REALLY annoyed that Ciri is quaffing potions since I thought a big deal was that she never had the witcher mutations since Triss (?) realized it was a really bad idea to give a menstruating young girl all those mutagens. So those should basically leave her in horrific pain on the ground after she chugs them.

One of the things that made her segments Work so well in TW3 was that she very clearly was NOT Geralt... she was something simultaneously less and massively more powerful. Which is why her wandering off to become a Witcher in all the good endings was so powerful. She is not a Witcher but she IS someone who can fight like one and who can do some good in the world.

But very excited. I think there is a LOT of room for Ciri to call out the misogynistic bullshit of the average medieval-ish fantasy culture (and we saw shades of that). Not entirely sure I trust CDPR for this though. Sometimes they do real good and sometimes it feels like the joke is that that woman has a dick. Time will tell.

But a few people noticed that Bluesky has Austin Walker listed as part of CDPR Boston (?). I suspect that is just an anomaly or maybe some contract work but... I trust Austin to speak Truth and convince people just how much power they have to write a ridiculously powerful female character in medieval-ish Europe.

Also, I assume CDPR is reading this because of course they are. So here is something free. Ciri is not the Butcher of Blavikan like her father. She is the "Butcher of whatever fucking town this is" if people don't get out of her way and let her help people.

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

We’ll just have to see what explanation they give. Did she get herself mutated eventually? Are the potions diluted/weaker? (I remember a quest where Geralt feeds a normal human a small dose of one of his potions.)

Would it be more interesting to have a Ciri that specifically doesn’t have most of the Witcher powers? Maybe, but I can understand them wanting to keep most of the gameplay staples. It looks like they are trying to keep most of Geralt’s moves and then adding some new ones.

Whatever happens, it should be interesting! I think what I’m most excited about is Ciri has a different morality and worldview - I’m excited to see how that ends up affecting the writing.

Of course I’m not taking it for granted it will be good, but I am hopeful.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

(I remember a quest where Geralt feeds a normal human a small dose of one of his potions.

https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/On_Death%27s_Bed

Sadly, none of this denoted a happy ending. Though the wounds on Lena's body healed, the toxins in the witcher's brew had melted her mind. This was not the first time a cure had proven worse than the disease

The witcher potions are RIDICULOUSLY toxic

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

rip I either missed or forgot the follow up on that one

[–] Earflap@reddthat.com 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Or they wanted to play off that kneejerk reaction to get you engaged. Ciri studied under Triss, Yen, and Avala'ch and knows actual magic. They could just be the more powerful actual versions of what witchers try and emulate.

[–] ech@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Regarding the potions, I haven't read the books, but the wiki alludes to "Children of Destiny" not needing the trials, of which Ciri is part of. Even if that's not it, I don't think a grown woman choosing to undergo the trials is comparable to forcing it on a child. Pretty badass, tbh.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not sure if it was optional (I THINK I missed it my first playthrough at launch?) but as part of TW3 you put someone through the trials as an adult. And it basically liquifies their body and causes immense suffering so that magic can be used to turn a pile of Clarence Boddicker back into the person's real form.

It wouldn't be the first retcon or outright ignoring of lore in the CDPR series (or the author's books for that matter...) but it just feels particularly egregious because Ciri very specifically is NOT a Witcher and her choosing to live that life was her rejecting destiny and taking control of herself. But also? She can never truly escape that destiny.

[–] ech@lemm.ee 1 points 2 weeks ago

As I remember, the liquification was more so part of the curse than the trials. The immense pain and risk of death is true either way, though.

And I don't see any conflict with Ciri here. That would be her continuing to fight to make her own life, no? The destiny she's running from isn't about her being a witcher. More so the opposite, as I understand it.

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Are they witcher potions though? Or are they the kind the sorcerers use?

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I think they’re Witcher potions. Based on her eyes, I’d guess she underwent the mutations.

I agree the “women cannot be witchers” thing always seemed sexist, but making her a witcher is a nerf more than anything. She didn’t teleport once in the teaser. A weird but welcome flip from ‘the female character didn’t earn it’ to ‘they took away everything she earned’ that we’re seeing in the social media reactions.

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Somebody pointed out to me that the witcher medallion that Ciri is wearing is feline, so possibly from the School of the Cat, which according to the wiki was known to train women as witchers. I wonder if they had a different trial than that of the grasses. She might be a full fledged mutant, like Geralt.

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, my sticking point isn’t the female witchers. It’s how much less powerful she is now. She was damn near a god last game.

I remember crashing my ps4 my piling up a ridiculous number of corpses during her escape scene. Just such a badass. Hurt my heart to watch her struggle in the fight in this teaser.

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

Oh, I wasn't implying anything of the sort, I just got excited about that little detail and wanted to share it with you!

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

IDK, but it'll be interesting to see how the story goes. Looking forward to it, for sure.

[–] QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

I always imagined a Ciri game as a more action-oriented and somewhat more over-the-top spin-off based on how she played in Witcher 3. But honestly I’ll be content as long as it’s a good game